The holy land of India have always been considered the seat of spiritual awakening & wisdom attracting travellers from all over the world. There is only one state in India which can boast of having both the Yoga capital of the world and the Shrine that symbolises the path to salvation(Kedarnath)– Uttarakhand.

My Uttarakhand trip started from Haridwar as most other tourists. Its a town on the bank of Ganga just 288Kms downstream from its source in Gangotri. It marks the place where Ganga enters the plains after making its initial journey through the rocky Himalayas. This place finds special importance in Hindu mythology as the site for Kumbha Mela which occurs every 12 years. As per a story in Hindu mythology when Gods and Demons came together to churn the sea and extract Amrit (elixir of immortality), Kuber(God of wealth) emerged with pot of Amrit and both Gods & Demons started fighting to obtain it. As a result of this struggle some Amrit spilt from the pot into water body in Haridwar and Ujjain in India, marking these places auspicious and is believed to relieve anyone of their sins and illness if they happen in take a dip in Ganga at these places during Kumbha Mela. You may not believe in these stories and still feel blessed to be at Haridwar by the Ganges owing to its Beauty. River Ganga is the life force for multitude of people in India and is revered as a deity. The Ganga aarti at Brahmakund, Haridwar is a scene to behold but you have to book your place early as every possible venture point is taken up to witness this spectacle every evening. Haridwar has a lot of Hindu temples, but few important ones you can definitely visit are Maya Devi, Chandi Devi and Daksha Mahadev temple. The former two are dedicated to two different forms of Shakti while the later is dedicated to Shiva. Maya Devi and Chandi Devi temples are located atop two hills on either side of Ganga river and can be reached via cable car. You can comfortably complete entire haridwar sightseeing in a couple of days.

My next destination in Uttarakhand was Rishikesh, the Yoga capital of the world. Its located at a distance of 28 kms from Haridwar and can easily be reached within an hour by road. There are quite a few places of interest in Rishikesh and most of them lie within a stretch of 2 kms between two famous hanging bridges in Rishikesh, Ramjhula and Laxmanjhula. From both these bridges we get the breathtaking view of mighty Ganga roaring through the valley of lush green hills. Its advisable to start your Rishikesh tour from Laxmanjhula. The road from Laxmanjhula to Ramjhula is dotted with numerous asharams and temples, the most famous being Parmarth Niketan, Swarg Ashram and Geeta Bhavan. One can choose to laze around or meditate in the rocky beaches of Ganga and soak in the serenity of this place. For adventure enthusiasts there are ample sports camp which organize river rafting and cliff jumping everyday. If you have more time in hand do explore the Beetles Asharam and Nilkanth Mahadev temple. Ganga aarti in Rishikesh is organised at Triveni Ghat, this is highly recommended as I found it to be more beautiful than the one at Haridwar. There are also numerous cafes to be explored in Rishikesh that dish out vegetarian treats. A visit to this place is sure to leave you with a lifetime of memories.